Cost of school project triples

Published 7:00 pm, Monday, January 3, 2005

The first step is for Faith Church to finish its new facility on Route 7 in New Milford.

When it does, it will move from its church on Danbury's Clapboard Ridge Road. Then the Immanuel Lutheran School and church can move from Foster Street to the Clapboard Ridge facility.

That frees up the Foster Street school for the city to renovate into its main Head Start center. The city plans to move Head Start out of city schools, which would free 12 classrooms in 12 schools.

Those classrooms could become all-day kindergarten.

The Common Council will consider buying the Foster Street building tonight, (Tuesday, Jan. 4) but several members raised questions during a Dec. 29 committee meeting to review the project.

City voters approved a $2.5 million bond to buy the school, but renovating it to Head Start standards will cost another $5 million. The extra $5 million must come from state or federal sources, city leaders say, and those applications can't be filed until the city buys the school.

"We need the $5 million, not to buy it, but to bring it up to federal standards," said Mayor Mark Boughton. "This is still cheaper for the city and for the state than the original plan."

The original plan was to add 12 classrooms for Head Start in the Roberts Avenue replacement school. That would cost $18 million, of which the city's share would be about $8.64 million. The state would pay the balance or $9.36 million.

But members of the Common Council last week wanted to know what would happen if the city bought the building, but state or federal authorities didn't cover the extra $5 million.

"Moments before the meeting, we heard a whole host of new issues. I'm very supportive of Head Start, but we have unanswered questions. I think we're being rushed," said Common Council member Tom Saadi.

Common Council member Joel Urice observed the project is three times larger than originally planned. He wanted to know if the city acquires the school to be made into a Head Start center with bond money, but state and federal authorities never provide $5 million for renovations, can the city legally use it for another purpose?

Corporation Council Robert Yamin said that is a question for the city's bond counsel.

Urice said he didn't want the city to buy a school, and then asking voters for another $5 million to fix it up to federal standards.

Former 5th District Rep. James Maloney, who is working with Head Start, said he supports the Immanuel Lutheran plan. He said Head Start is ready to give the city roughly $1.8 million to renovate the school, once the city buys it.

"There are so many pieces to this puzzle. The city needed the $2.5 million to buy the school, and that is what leads to the state and the federal support," Maloney said. "Why would the state do it? The city needs the new classrooms. It's cheaper for the state to give the city about $3.2 million than it is to buy the classrooms at Roberts Avenue."

Maloney said the state can easily see that spending $3.2 million is better than spending $9.64 million on the old Roberts Avenue plan.

Maloney said Head Start must have the renovations, because its programs require a number of special features. Teachers can send 3- and 4-year-olds down the hall to the bathroom, for example.

"They can't make it down the hall. Every classroom needs its own bathroom," Maloney said. The school needs an indoor recreational area, administrative offices, and breakfast and lunch rooms. It has to be handicapped accessible.

"By bringing almost everyone together, the churches, the state, the federal government and the city, we have a creative project that will be a feather in the cap for the mayor, the governor and everyone involved," Maloney said.

Public Works Director Bill Buckley said the city has to do its part and buy the building before the state and federal components can fall into place.

"You don't want to send in an application for money to renovate a building you don't own," Buckley said. "This is a very good deal for the city."